English
jan
Jan comes from Arabic جَنّ (jann) ‘jinn, demon’.
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English jan
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1888, Charles Montagu Doughty: “He cast out the demons of possessed persons, and…”.
Lineage
- Arabicc. 500–presentجَنّWiktionary, English jan‘jinn, demon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1888janWiktionary, English jan. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1888, Charles Montagu Doughty: “He cast out the demons of possessed persons, and…”
Every English word from Arabic جَنّ
Today it means
noun —
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “jan”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Arabic جَنّ / jan